Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-01-27
TWO MAINE STORIES.
The Minister'S Ducks and Tom Crowley's
Estimate of Elder Adams.

While steaming down the st. Croix
river with Capt Wooster on the swift
tho William Kinds the captain told me
two warns that are well worth repeating,
saws a writer in the Lewiston (Me)
Journal We were passing the town of
Perry. A young lady of 16 years,
another captains daughter, took the
wheel and managed it like an ancient
mariner, and the captain was at liberty
to suck his cigar and tell his stories
IA minister who used to live here in
the town OF Perry" said he, twas once
visited by another minister on Sun
day; 50 he killed two ducks and ordered
his hired girl to dress and cook them
for dinner. The girl did as she was
told but while the ducks were roasting
her beau came and made her call
Being hungry, and tempted by the smell
Of the sizzling fowl, he seized one of the
ducks and ate it.
"lhe girl was driven to her wits
ends by this unlucky incident. She was
rather glad her beau had such nice
dinner, but despaired at finding an ex-
cuse to tell the minister-lets call him
Mr. Brownie account for the missing
duck. When Minister Brown came
home to dinner with Visiting Minister
Jones the girl had hit upon scheme.
She asked her employer to 90 out to the
grindstone which stood in the yard and
sharpen the carving-knife. He went at
work on the knife at once, being hungry
for those ducks The girl stole upstairs
and asked the visiting minister to look
out of the window.
See there? said she Il came up
to give you warning. You little know
the danger you're in. The man | work
for is crazy, and he is sharpening that
knife to cut your throatf
The girl succeeded in thoroughly
alarming the visitor, and he hastily put
on his hat and ran as fast as his legs
could take him.
when he had run several rods the
girl called her master and asked him
what kind of man he had brought
home to dinner. The minister inquired
why she asked, when, pointing TO the
flying brother, the girl exclaimed:
There he goes, running away with one
of your ducks?'
II
the notorious Elder Adams, who con-
Quoted the bewildered Maine colonists
4 to Palestine and abandoned them in
poverty there. When Elder Adams was
preaching his crusade he had to con-
i tend against many scotiers and doubters.
One OF them was Jonesport man
named Tom Crowley.
AT one of Elder Adams meetings in
Jonesport quoth the captain, TON
Crowley arose and said he had dreamed
a cream which he would like TO tell
4 The elder told him to 90 ahead, and
Tom proceeded. He said he dreamed
the devil had got possession of him and
would not let him go unless he (Tom)
would name three things he could not
+ do. So he first asked the devil to part
4 the Atlantic ocean so an army could
march across, as the Israelites did, and
h the devil easily did it. Then Tom
asked him to tell him where a wreck lay
IN which Tom once was cast away, and
4 the devil told him to dot. AS a last
4 resort, said Tom, Il dreamed | asked
4 Ine devil TO produce a bigger liar than
] Elder Adams, but the devil acknowl-
! up
Toms dream produced great SEN
sauon IN the meeting her for
j llat Old barn! exclaimed the captain,
suddenly turning his attention from me
10 the girl al the wheel.
II the rest OF Elder Adams hearers
had taken Tom measure OF that monu-
mental fraud they would have saved
themselves a vast deal Of suffering.